Viewpoints - Harbottle and Lewis

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17 September 2023

MPs’ report on AI and creative technology

On 30 August 2023, the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee (Committee) published a Report on artificial intelligence and creative technology, entitled: Connected tech: AI and creative technology (Report). The Report will be of particular interest to rights holders, their…

14 September 2023

THREE ASPECTS TO CONSIDER AS A MUSIC RIGHTS HOLDER TO ROCK THE METAVERSE(S)

Artists and music rights holders are increasingly turning to the metaverse(s) as a means to reach a wider, global fan base and explore new revenue streams, whether by curating concerts like Lil Nas’s performance in Roblox which attracted 33 million…

07 September 2023

Trading through a Limited Company: Tax Considerations for Creatives

Many creatives have corporate entities through which they conduct the business of selling or licensing their intellectual property (IP). Whilst there are a myriad of benefits to setting up a limited company, they may not always be necessary and beneficial.…

04 September 2023

Privacy and probate

Andrew Reay, probate manager at Harbottle & Lewis LLP, explains to a Financial Times reader how they can maintain a degree of privacy, as regards their testamentary wishes, on their death. Andrew first considers the rarely-exercised power of the…

10 August 2023

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s recommendations on monitoring employees

On 7 August 2023, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, who scrutinise the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), published its report titled "Connected tech: smart or sinister?" This report delves into the potential advantages and drawbacks of employing…

09 August 2023

PSNI and Electoral Commission breaches show no one is immune from the worst case scenario

Two major data breaches have made front page and headline news this week, highlighting the risks to companies and bodies dealing in large amounts of sensitive data. The PSNI data breach is reported on here and the electoral commission breach…

20 July 2023

The new Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit: Draft Finance Bill

On Tuesday 18 July, the UK government published draft legislation for potential inclusion in the next Finance Bill. Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Victoria Atkins, explained that the draft legislation has been published to allow for technical consultation and to…

18 July 2023

A meeting of minds: should a taxpayer meet with HMRC?

Under Code of Practice 9 (COP9) and the Contractual Disclosure Facility (CDF) a taxpayer has the opportunity to make a complete disclosure to HMRC of all tax irregularities, in return for immunity from prosecution. Fully engaging with the procedure should…

10 July 2023

DATA DEFENCE IN THE METAVERSE: IT’S NOT A GAME

The metaverse is an evolving concept that has been discussed for many years, but has recently gained a lot of attention due to advances in technology. The metaverse is essentially a virtual world where people can interact with each other…

28 June 2023

The ICO releases guidance on privacy enhancing technologies

In an effort to enhance standards on data privacy and security, the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued recommendations on how organisations should integrate privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) into their systems and applications to share…